Wall Street was higher in midday trade Tuesday after the Commerce Department reported that core personal consumption expenditures were 1.9 percent higher in June.

However, the same report also said that personal spending was up only 0.1 percent in June, its slowest growth in nine months.

Meanwhile, the Conference Board reported that consumer confidences was at a six year high.

At mid-session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.54 percent higher to 13,429.84, while the Nasdaq Composite had gained 0.25 percent to 2,589.62 and the S&P 500 was up 0.48 percent to 1,480.93.

Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) and News Corp (NYSE: NWS, NWSa; LSE: NCRA; ASX: NWS) were both higher after the Wall Street Journal, a Dow Jones-owned newspaper, reported that the Bancroft family is close to agreeing to a deal to be bought by News Corp.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp added 6 cents to $22.90, while Dow Jones was $6.29 higher to $57.85.

Fast food chain Wendy’s (NYSE: WEN) was also higher, adding $1.59 to $35.28 on an offer of between $37 and $41 per share.

Sun Microsystems (NAS: SUNW) was up 3 5 cents to $5.24 on a better than anticipated quarterly report, while in the automobile manufacturing sector General Motors (NYSE: GM) was up 82 cents to $33.43, also on a good quarterly result.

Despite a decline in profits of 30 percent in the second quarter from the same period last year, Waste Management Inc (NYSE: WMI) added $2.38 to $39.87 on an upped full-year forecast.

Wall Street was higher in early afternoon trade on Monday as it tried to overcome last week’s declines.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 57.7 points to 13,324.6, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 9.8 points to 2,572 and the S&P 500 was 6.2 points higher to 1,465.

Home Depot (NYSE: HD) was the biggest gainer on the Dow, adding 79 cents to $37.54.

Rival home improvement retailer Lowe’s (NYSE; LOW) was up 38 cents to $28.15.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, drug store chain Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) had gained 2 cents to $5.40, while discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) was up 20 cents to $46.14.

Aerospace group Boeing (NYSE: BA) also helped the Dow as it added $2.12 to $105.83.

Some banks were higher.

JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) gained 6 cents to $44.29, while Citigroup (NYSE: C) was up 18 cents to $47.15, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) had added 41 cents to $47.82, and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) gained 69 cents to $34.25.

On the other hand, mortgage lender Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC) was 96 cents lower to $28.89.

American Home Mortgage Investment Corp (NYSE: AHM) had trading halted before the market opened after it fell $6.39, or 39 percent, to $10.47 in premarket trading after it delayed its quarterly dividend.

Friday it said it was “struggling” due to the crisis in the subprime sector.

In New York on Friday the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down again by more than 100 points in midday trade, falling 0.96 percent to 13,344.56, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.89 percent to 2,576.32 and the S&P 500 was 1.12 percent lower to 1,466.1.

The declines came even though the Commerce Department had released a report calling the US economy strong in the second quarter, with the GDP up at an annual rate of 3.4 percent, better than the 3.3 percent growth that had been expected.

A gain to 90.4 by the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index in July didn’t seem to impress investors, either.

The oil sector was lower after Thursday’s quarterly report from ExxonMobil (NSYE: XOM), which showed profits off from predictions.

ExxonMobil dropped 2.2 percent to $86.24.

Chevron, which reported profits up in the most recent quarter, was also lower, falling 2.5 percent to $85.31.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK; LSE: GSK) was down 2.79 percent to $49.80 ahead of a Monday meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration to look at the safety of its Avandia diabetes drug, which has been implicated in increased risks of heart problems to patients.

GlaxoSmithKline claims that Avandia is as safe as other diabetes drugs and that the study which found the risks was flawed.

Elsewhere in the sector, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) had dropped 0.41 percent to $24.05 while Merck (NYSE: MRK) was 2.69 percent lower to $50.57.

On the other hand, shoe manufacturer Crocs Inc (NAS: CROX) hit a new record high share prices when it went as high as $59.71 before falling back to $55.25 in midday trade, a gain of 9.2 percent on its report that earnings tripled in the second quarter and on an increased full-year forecast.

Wall Street suffered big losses in early afternoon trade on Thursday.

At just past 1:30 p.m. in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 290 points, or 2.11 percent, to 13,494.46, while the Nasdaq Composite had lost 2.32 percent to 2,586.65 and the S&P 500 was 2.35 percent lower to 1,482.47.

The declines were largely fallout from more bad news on the housing market and on higher oil prices.

The Commerce Department released new data showing that new home sales were down 6.6 percent in June to an annualized rate of 834,000 units.

Homebuilders declined on the new figures.

DR Horton (NYSE: DHI) was 3.03 percent lower to $16.95, while Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) was down 11.21 percent to $15.13 and WCI Communities Inc (NYSE: WCI) had fallen 20.67 per cent to $8.98 by early afternoon.

Banks were also lower, feeling the effect of the ongoing concerns over the subprime mortgage sector.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC; TYO: 8648) was down 80 cents to $47.13, while JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) dropped $1.51 to $43.76, Citigroup (NYSE: C) was $1.95 lower to $47.26 and Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) fell $3.57 to $74.53.

At the same time of day there were a few gainers.

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) had added 25 cents to $8.22 on a report that it had returned to profit in the second quarter, while consumer goods group Procter & Gamble (NSYE: PG) was 52 cents higher to $63.50.

On the Nasdaq, Amazon.com (NAS: AMZN) was 16 cents higher to $86.34, while Apple (NAS: AAPL) had gained $8.09 to $145.35.

Because of the big losses on the day, the New York Stock Exchange imposed trading curbs aimed at stopping large-block sales when shares are falling.

Wall Street was higher in midday trade on Wednesday after an up-and-down morning on nerves from Tuesday’s declines and news that existing home sales were down by 3.8 percent in June.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.38 percent higher at mid-session to 13,769.71 after gaining as much as 100 points at one point and losing up to 30 points at another in morning trade.

The Nasdaq Composite was 2,647.27, up 0.28 percent, while the S&P 500 had added 0.36 percent to 1,516.51.

There were notable gains, however.

Pharmaceutical group Merck (NYSE: MRK) added $1.61 to $53.33 after it said it would buy NovaCardia (NAS: NCAR), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical firm that specializes in cardiovascular disease.

In the aerospace sector, Boeing (NYSE: BA; TYO: 7661) gained $3.56 to $107.36 after it reported that it earned $1.35 per share in the second quarter, higher than the earnings of $1.16 per share that had been anticipated.

The internet sector was mixed after Amazon.com (NAS: AMZN) said that its earnings in the second quarter were 19 cents per share, up from 5 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

The report brought upgrades - from “neutral to “outperform” from Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; SWX: CSGN) and from “accumulate” to “buy” from ThinkEquity, which also raised Amazon’s target share price from $80 to $105.

Amazon was up $17.75 to $87 in early afternoon trade.

Other gainers in the sector included Yahoo (NAS: YHOO), which gained 9 cents to $24.93 and eBay (NAS: EBAY), which was 56 cents higher to $33.62.

Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA), however, dropped $3.99 to $510.01.

The New York equities markets were lower at midday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.69 percent lower to 13,858.80, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.54 percent to 2,676.18 and the S&P 500 was down 0.69 percent to 1,530.96.

Part of the declines came as quarterly reports disappointed.

In the chemicals sector, DuPont (NYSE: DDPRA, DDPRB, DD) reported that profits did not grow in the second quarter even as sales were better overseas.

DuPont had dropped $2.96 to $50.30 by mid-session.

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) fell $1.32 to $36.86 as it reported profits lower than the same time last year.

Fast food chain McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) was 33 cents lower to $52.17 after it reported a losing quarter on a charge growing out of its sale of Latin American outlets.

AT&T (NYSE: T) was 18 cents higher to $40.21 after it said that its earnings were up by 61 percent in the second quarter, but reported that fewer Apple iPhone numbers than had been anticipated were activated following the new phone’s release.

Apple (NAS: AAPL) dropped $3.88 to $139.82 on the news of fewer iPhone activations and ahead of its quarterly report, due on Wednesday.

Companies exposed to bad loans were lower.

American Express (NYSE: AXP) dropped $1.94 to $62.72 after it reported an increase in write-downs on bad loans in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, mortgage lender Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC) fell $3.08 to $30.98 after it reported significantly lower profits in the second quarter and cut its earnings forecast.

Wall Street was higher in midday trade on Monday as quarterly reports and mergers and acquisition news were in focus.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.81 percent higher to 13,963.34, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.54 percent to 2,702.01 and the S&P 500 gained 0.76 percent to 1,545.79.

The Russell 3000 index of small and mid-caps was up 0.52 percent to 840.82.

Credit card provider American Express (NYSE: AXP) was 35 cents higher to $64.86 ahead of the release of its second quarter report, due after the close of trade on the day.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Merck (NYSE: MRK) said that it had seen its earnings increase by 12 percent in the quarter, sending it $3.90 higher to $52.92.

Elsewhere in the sector, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) gained 33 cents to $25.23 and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NSYE: BMY) added 60 cents to $32.14, but Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) dropped 12 cents to $31.37.

In purchase news, offshore drilling contractor Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG) and GlobalSantaFe Corp. (NYSE: GSF) announced that they have made a deal to merge.

Transocean was $6.28 higher to $116.25, while GlobalSantaFe gained $3.86 to $78.60.

The company created by the deal will carry a market value of around $53 billion.

In another deal, United Rentals (NYSE: URI) has agreed to be taken private by affiliates of Cereberus Capital Management in a cash deal worth $4 billion.

Shares in United Rentals were trading $33.08 at mid-session, up 71 cents.

In early afternoon trade on Friday Wall Street saw steep declines a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 14,000 level for the first time in history.

The Dow was down 1.26 percent to 13,824.34, while the Naasdaq Composite fell 1.41 percent to 2,681.56 and the S&P
500 was 1.24 percent lower to 1,533.81.

Disappointing quarterly reports and more concerns about the housing market and subprime mortgages drove the declines.

In the internet sector, Google (NAS: GOOG) dropped 5.7 percent to $517.53 after it reported that earnings were lower in the quarter on higher operating expenses and the adding of employees.

Microsoft’s (NAS: MSFT)report headlined higher earnings but bad news on the sale of personal computers sent shares 1.7 percent lower to $$30.98.

Construction machinery maker Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) fell 8.4 percent to $79.70 after it reported that earnings dropped on declines in truck engine sales and a decline in construction in North America.

Construction woes hit homebuilders as well, sending the Dow Jones US Home Construction Index 3.3 percent lower to 516.91, its lowest level since October 2003, on predictions that the US housing market will be in the doldrums well into next year.

Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) dropped 2.8 percent to $21.78, while Centex (NYSE: CTX) was 3.9 percent lower to $41.73.

Comments from the President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve that the mess in the subprime mortgage sector was big enough to affect the housing markets and consumer spending sent shares in banks lower.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) had gone higher on a positive quarterly report, but dropped 1.3 percent to $50.45 on subprime concerns.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) was also lower, down 1.77 percent to $48.40 despite a 5 percent gain in earnings in the most recent quarter after it also increased provisions for losses from bad loans.

Wall Street was higher in early afternoon trade on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.51 percent higher to 13,988.95, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.81 percent to 2,721.3 and the S&P 500 was up 0.43 percent to 1,552.85.

Earnings news was in focus as IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Juniper Networks (NAS: JNPR) both reported.

IBM said that second quarter profits were up with help from its software division and services business.

It also raised its profit forecast for this year, sending shares up $4.74 to $115.82.

Network equipment manufacturer Juniper, meanwhile, also said profits rose in the second quarter and upped its earnings outlook for the full year, adding $3.24 to $29.97.

Elsewhere in the computer sector, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) added $1.57 to $48.71.

Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA), Microsoft (NAS: MSFT), and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) were all scheduled to report after the close of trade on Thursday.

Google was $2.30 lower to $547.20, but Advanced Micro Devices was up 27 cents to $15.73 and Microsoft had added 57 cents to $31.49.

The internet sector was lower.

Ebay (NAS: EBAY) was down 53 cents to $33.52 after it did not change its full-year outlook. Meanwhile, Yahoo (NAS: YHOO) dropped 14 cents to $26.06.

Wall Street was lower in early afternoon trade on Wednesday after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke made worrying remarks in testimony before Congress and as brokerages took losses after a downgrade of the biggest names in the sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.72 percent lower to 13,871, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.02 percent and the S&P 500 fell 0.65 percent to 1,539.34.

An analyst at Punk Ziegel & Co downgraded the top five brokerages from “market perform” to “sell” after Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) said that two of its hedge funds holding subprime mortgage assets have lost almost everything.

Bear Stearns dropped $2.12 to $137.79, while Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) was 2.31 percent lower to $70.75, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) fell $2.71 to $70.14, Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER: TYO: 8675) was down $3.30 to $82.90, and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) fell $6.55 to $212.85.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bernanke’s comments in his testimony before Congress were full of concern about inflation and the state of the housing market, culminating in a lower forecast for US economic growth this year and next.

Among housebuilders, Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) dropped 3.8 percent to $21.85 after it predicted losses in the second quarter.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) was 4.6 percent lower to $24.78 after both earnings and revenues were lower than had been anticipated.

In the internet sector, Yahoo (NAS: YHOO) was down $1.37 to $26.16 after its second quarter results were about as expected but it lowered its guidance for the third quarter.

Intel (NAS: INTC; SEHK: 4335) dropped $1.32 to $25.01 even though quarterly earnings were better than had been anticipated but gross margins were reported to have dropped.